Washing apparatus



May 26, 1942.r

E. s. s'roDDARD WASHING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 27, 1941 2 sheet-sheet 1 Figi Inventorllll d, mi@ d d/Mn o v balm 5. afm

Ecflga b5 HW May 26, 1942. EL s. s-roDDARD WASHING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor- Patented May 26, 1942 UNi'lED STATES PATENT OFFICE WASHING APPARATUS Edgar S. Stoddard, Berwyn, Ill., assignor to Edison General Electric Appliance Company, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New York Application February 27, 1941, Serial No. 380,849

2 Claims.

This invention relates to washing apparatus and has for its object the provision of improved apparatus of this character which is simpler in construction and less expensive to manufacture.

While not limited thereto, this invention has particular application to dishwashing apparatus' It is a still more specific object of this invention to provide improved means for supporting the operative elements of the washing apparatus from the drain assembly for the washing apparatus so that the number of supporting openf ings in the washing vat is reduced to a minimum, thereby reducing the sealing problem attendant the provision of such openings in the washing vat.

It is a still more specific object of this invention to provide improved and inexpensive means for supporting the operative elements of the washing apparatus as a unitary assembly which can be separately tested and which can be mounted on the washing vat in'such a manner that each element may be quickly and easily serviced or repaired.

Further and more specific objects of this invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize this invention will be set forth in the claims appendedto and forming a part of this specification.

For a more complete understanding of this invention reference should be had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a dishwashing apparatus embodying this invention, a portion of the casing ofthe apparatus being broken away to illustrate certain details of the improved construction; Fig. 2 isan enlarged view of the operating mechanism shown in Fig. 1, parts being shown in section in order in Fig. 1.

on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1 showing still further details of this invention, the front control panel having been omitted from this view.

Referring to the drawings, this invention has been shown as applied to a dishwashing apparatus of the front opening type which comprises a vat I0 supported in a, suitable casing having side walls II and a top wall I2 which is provided with an integrally formed back splashei` plate I3 in which is mounted suitable manually oper-, able control means I4 for controlling the various electrically operated elements of the dishwashing apparatus. Arranged to close 'the front opening of the Washing vat I 0 is a door I5 in which is provided a Ventilating louver I6 and in which is also provided suitable ldetergent supplying means I'I.

As shown in Fig. 1, the bottom wall I8 of the washing vat I0 slopes downwardly so as to define a receptacle I9 for'receiving a washing fluid.

Provided within the receptacle I9 dened by the wall I8 is an impeller 20 having blades 20a. The impeller 20 is driven by a suitable motor 2| which is positioned outside of and below the bottom wall I8, as shown in Fig. 1. When driven by the motor 2 I the 'impeller picks up the washing nuid in the receptacle I9 and throws or hurls the fluid up through the washing vat into Contact with' the dishes contained therein. It will be under,-

stood that suitable rack means (not shown) will be used for supporting the dishes within the vat.v

Washing fluid, which is preferably Warm water, is supplied to the vat Ii) by means of a suitable spray device 22 which is supported in the central portion of the top wall of the vat, as shown This spray device is connected by means of a suitable pipe 23 which extends downwardly along the outside of the Vat between the vat and the rear wall of the casing to the outlet side of a control valve 24, the inlet side of which is connected by means Of piping 25 to a suitable source of supply of washing fluid. The valve 24 controls the quantity of washing fluid supplied to the vat I0 and in the preferred form of this invention the'valve 24 will be electromagnetically operated by means of a suitable solenoid 24a. It will be observed that the valve 24 is positioned adjacent the motor 2| below the bottom wall I8 in the vat. Also positioned near the motor 2I and below the bottom wall of the vat is a drain valve 26 which is connected to a suitable ltrap 21 which in turn is connected to a drain system '(not shown). Like the uid inlet valve 24, the drain valve 26 is preferably of the elec-fV tromagnetically operated type and in the/preferred form of this invention is ofl the-type more connection of the drain particularly described and claimed in my copending application' Serial No. 380,853, led February 27, 1941, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

As previously stated, this invention relates to the provision of an improved drain construction for a washing apparatus of the type described above and to improved means for supporting the various operative elements of the Washing apparatus. such as the motor driven impeller means, the inlet valve means, and the drain valve means, so that the possibility of leakage from the vat I 8 is minimized.

In Figs. 2 through 4 there is, illustrated a preferred form of this invention. Referring .to these figures, it will be observed that the bottom wall I8 of the vat I0 terminates in a depression 28 which defines a large central opening 29 positioned to lie at the bottom or lowermost portion of the bottom wall I8 of the vat. Arranged to cover the opening 29 from the inside of the vat is'a drain plate 38 having a portion 3| which extends into the opening 29 and a ilange portion 32 which is adapted to engage the inside surface of the portion of bottom wall I8 defining the de pression 28. This drain plate, as shown in Fig.

3, is provided with a plurality of drain openings 33 which are of such a size that they do not interfere with the free ilow of fluid therethrough but do prevent any .large waste particles from going into the drain system.

Provided below the bottom wall of the vat is a drain casting 34 having an upper flange 35 which engages the outside surface of the portion of the bottom wall I8 defining the recess 28 so as to completely cover the opening` 29 provided in the vat. In order to provide a fluid-tight connection between the drain plate 30 and the inside of the bottom wall I8 and between the drain casting 34 and the outside of the bottom wall I8, a U-shaped gasket 36 is mounted over the edge of the bottom wall adjacent the opening 29. In accordance with this invention, the drain casting 34 is supported from the drain plate 30 which in turn is supported on the inside of the bottom wall I8. To effect this supportl a plurality of bolts 3 1 are provided which extend downwardly through suitable openings 38 provided in the drain plate and.

are threadedly received in internally threaded bosses 39 provided in the drain .casting 34. It is to be` observed that the bolts 31 are so positioned drain valve 26 open, uid previously accumulated' in the vat I0 will flow downwardly through the openings 33 in the drain plate 30 and into the passageway 48 of the drain casting and thence throughthe drain valve 26 and into the trap 21, shown in Fig. 1.' It will be observed that by means of this construction the drain valve assembly is secured at a point remote from the washing vat, thus making it possible to easily and quickly replace and repair the drain valve in the event that it becomes clogged or damaged in any way during use.

As previously pointed out, the adapted to lie within the receptacle I9 formed by `the bottom wall I8 of the vat I0 and this imthat they extend downwardly through the opening 29 provided'inthe bottom wall I8, thereby eliminating the need for additional holes in the bottom wall in order to mount the drain assembly on the vat.

In assembling the parts particularly described above, the gasket 36 will-rst be mounted over the adjacent edge of the bottom wall I8. Then the drain plate will be positioned within the vat I0 and the drain casting will be heldin its position outside of the vat I0. The bolts 31 will be thenl threaded into the drain casting and the parts securely drawn together so that the gasket and sloping portion of the bottom wall I8 will be clamped between the drain plate and the drain casting, thereby to secure a simple, fluid-tight assembly to the washing vat.

Referring further to Figs. 2 through 4, it will peller is adapted to be driven by the motor means 2I which is supported outside and below the vat. In order to provide a driving connection between the impeller 20 and the motor 2I there is provided a sleeve 42 the upper end of which is secured in the impeller 28 and the lower end of which is tted over the shaft 43 of the motor. The lower end of the sleeve 42 islprovided with a pair of`slots which are adapted to f'lt over a pin 44 projecting through the shaft 43 to provide a driving connection between the shaft 43 and the sleeve 42. Extending downwardly through fthe sleeve and into the end of the shaft 43 is a bolt 45 which secures the impeller, sleeve, and shaft in their proper driving relation. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the sleeve 42 extends upwardly through the drain` casting and the drain plate. To permit this, the drain plate is provided with a central opening 46 and the drain casting is provided With a central flange portion 41 defining an opening 48.

To prevent leakage at the point where the sleeve 42 is brought out through the drain casting, the sleeve is positioned within a tubular member 49, the lower end of which is secured in the flange 41 and the upper end of which terminates above the normal level of washing fluid in the receptacle I9 formed by the bottom wall I 8 of the vat. It will be observed that vthe upper end of the tubular member 49 projects into vthe hub portion 58 of the impeller 20 and is spaced a short distance from the portionl of the hub sov Vbetween the tubular member and the portion 5I of the hub, a deilectingA plate 52 is provided on the shaft 43 so as to deflect such fluidA outwardly away from the motor'2l. It will be understood, however, that such leakage as has just been described only occurs under abnormal operating conditions and the amount of such leakage is extremely small due to the small clearance provided between the upper end of the tubular member 49 and the portion 5I of the hub.

lIn accordance with this invention all of the operative devices of the washing apparatus inbe observed that the side and bottom Walls of the cluding the impeller 20 which is supported on the motor 2| are supported from the drain platedrain casting assembly just described. In achieving this end, the drain casting 34 is provided with a plurality of bosses to .which are secured right and left-hand brackets 53 and 54 respectively for supporting the motor 2l and additional brackets impeller 20 is I 55 and 56 for supporting the water inlet valve 24 and a control panel 51.

Referring to Fig. 4, it will be observed that each of the motor supporting brackets comprises a front and rear portion 56 and 56 respectively which are interconnected by a horizontal rib portion 46l). Projecting laterally from the upper end of the front portion 58 is an ear 6| which is adapted to be secured by means of a screw 62 to l a boss 63 integrally formed in the drain casting 34. The rear portion on the other hand is provided at its upper end with a longitudinally extending ear 64 which is secured by means of a screw 65 to a boss 66 integrally formed in the drain casting. Both the front and rear portions 58 and 59 of the motor supporting brackets are provided with horizontally extending foot portions 61 which are adapted to receive bolts 68 for securing the motor casing to the motor supporting bracket. Referring to Fig. 3, it will be observed that fou-r such bolts are provided for securely holding the motor 2| and the impeller 20 supported thereon in their operative positions.

The brackets 55 and 56 on the other hand consist of a pairv of L-slia-ped members which extend transversely across the bottom of the washing vat and as shown in Fig. 4 are secured to the drain casting by means of a pair of screws 69 which are threaded into spaced bosses provided on the right and left-hand side of the drain casting. As

shown in' Figs. 2 and 4, the rear portion of thev brackets 55 and 56 is bent downwardly, and welded or otherwise secured tb the bottom portion thereof is a bracket 1I upon which is mounted 'the water inlet valve 24. Extending across the front of the brackets 55and 56 and secured thereto by means of bolts 12 is the control panel 51 which includes a water measuring relay coil 13 and a plurality of terminal plates (not shown) with which electrical connections to the various electricallyl operated devices of the washing apparatus are made. It will be observed that with this latter supporting bracket arrangement it is possible to arrange the control panel in front of the motor 2| so that it will be readily accessible from the front of the washing apparatus for making electrical connections. It will also be observed that with the drain valve .supported directly on the drain casting and the-inlet valve supported to the rear of the drain casting, but to one side thereof, as shown in Fig. 2, either or both of these valve constructions are readily accessvible for replacement or repair from the front of the washing apparatus. l

From the foregoing detailed description it will be observed that I have provided a new and improved drain and supporting construction for a washing apparatus which is relatively simple to modifications may be made and I therefore intend to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A washing apparatus comprising a vat having a bottom wall and an opening in said bottom wall, a drain ,plate positioned within said vat having a central portion projecting into said opening and a peripheral portion engaging the outside surface of said bottom wall to cover said opening therein, gasket means positioned overythe edge of lsaid bottom wall adjacent said opening and adapted to lie between said drain plate and the inside surface of said wall and said drain casting and the outside lsurface of said wall, means for securing said dr'ain casting to said drain plate comprising bolts extending down;- wardly through said opening, said means upon b'eing tightened'causing said gasket means to be compressed to form a fluid-tight seal between the bottom wall of said vat, said drain casting and said drain plate, means defining a drain passageway in said drain casting, a flange projecting upwardly into said dr'ain passageway defining an opening in said drain casting, and a tubular member secured in said flange and extending upwardly through said drain passageway and said drain -plate to a point substantially above the normal level of fluid in said vat, said tubular means being adapted to receive a shaft for effecting a driving -connection'between an internally positioned fluid impeller and an externally positioned motor driving unit, said tubular member serving to prevent leakage of washing uid from said vat through said opening in said drain casting.

A 2. A' washing apparatus comprising a vat having a downwardly sloping bottom wall defining a fluid chamber, a drain opening in the lower- `most portion of said bottom wall, fluid circulating means in said fluid chamber defined by said sloping wall, motor means positioned below said bottom wall, a shaft extending through said opening in said bottom wall for connecting said fluid circulating means to'said motor means, a perforated drain plate bearing against the inside surface of said bottom wall so as to cover said opening, a drain casting-having a portion thereof bearing against the outside surface of said bottom wall so as to,cover said opening from the outside,` said drain casting having a drain passageway formed therein for the reception of fluids owing from said vat downwardly through said drain opening, means extending through said opening assemble and. by which the component operative elements of Ithe washing apparatusare supported as a. compact unit from the bottom of the washing vat by relatively simple and' fluid-tight means. Moreover, it will be observed that there is prolvided in accordance with this inve ion an imfor securing said drain plate to said drain casting and for clamping the resulting assembly to the portion of said bottom wall adjacent said opening, bracket means on said ldrain casting for supporting said motor means, a flange projecting upwardly into said drain passageway defining an opening in said drain casting and a tubular mem-f ber secured in vsaid flange and extending upwardly through said drain plate and into said vat for receiving said shaft to provide a substantially fluid-tight seal along said shaft.

EDGAR S. STODDARD. 

